This invention relates generally to water recreational apparatuses, and more specifically, to water recreational apparatuses having a filtering system.
Water recreational apparatuses, such as portable spas, hot tubs, above ground pools and water recirculating bath tubs have become very popular. Many such water recreational apparatuses have water filters wherein a portion of the water within the basin is withdrawn via a filter opening, filtered to remove suspended debris and reintroduced into the water basin.
In conventional water recreational apparatuses of the prior art, the filter opening is typically a spill way defined in the uppermost portion of one of the side walls of the apparatus. The problem with this spill way configuration is that the only water in the apparatus that is filtered is water at the very upper level in the apparatus. Also, the spill way configuration takes up space and does nothing to add to the overall aesthetic appearance of the apparatus.
Accordingly, there is a need for a water recreational apparatus which overcomes these problems in the prior art.
The invention satisfies this need. The invention is a water recreational apparatus comprising (a) a water basin having side walls and a bottom wall, (b) a filter disposed external of the basin, (c) a pump having a suction side and a discharge side, (d) suction side water circulation lines serially connecting the water basin, the filter and the suction side of the pump, and (e) discharge side water circulation lines connecting the discharge side of the pump and the water basin. In the invention, the side walls comprise one or more side wall doors to allow the flow of water from the water basin to the suction side water circulation lines, the one or more side walls being movably affixed to the basin so that they can move between a closed position and an open position. Also in the invention, the water circulation apparatus further comprises biasing means to bias the one or more side wall doors to the closed position when the pump is not operating, but allowing the one or more side wall doors to move toward the open position when the pump is operating.